Methods for Melting Tires Exploring the Science Behind Tire Melting

In the United States alone, people have dumped more than 250 million tires. However, what many may not know is that tires are recyclable. Melting a tire is an essential process in recycling rubber, since recycling cannot occur without it. After melting a tire, it can be molded into parts for your kitchen sink, exhaust hanger or shoes. However, you need to know the basic principles of melting a tire before actually attempting the task.

Step 1

Clean the tires thoroughly. This will save time when you need to separate the different parts of the tire.

Step 2

Shred the tires with a tire shredder. Gently put each tire into the opening and allow the blades to slice apart the tire.

Step 3

Separate any metal materials from the rubber with a centrifuge machine. The machine rotates the parts, dropping heavy metal materials. Pick up the fallen materials and discard them.

Step 4

Pour a liquid into a heating chamber so it fills a third of the chamber. Use any liquid with a higher density than rubber and with a high boiling point. For example, you can use heavy oils.

Step 5

Pour the shredded rubber into the liquid. Heat the liquid until it reaches between 750 and 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Verify the tires have melted by looking at the outlet pipe on the heating chamber. Oil rises to the surface in this pipe, and you will see floating pieces of tire when it has melted.

Things Needed

• Tire shredder
• Centrifuge machine
• Higher boiling point liquid